An Other Age Summer
by Scribe's Faction
Summary: The Two month summer challenge story. Trapped inside thanks to the soaking heat of August, Mio introduces her friends to an online dating sim. Nao is fine, but Kahoko fails miserably at it. A couple weeks later, school is back in session, but it's still scorching hot and she's still sucking. So she turns to some unlikely sources for help as they all try to beat the heat.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** An "Other Age" Summer  
**Theme:** Beat the Heat  
**Author:** tentsubasa  
**Summary:** Trapped inside thanks to the soaking heat of August, Mio introduces her friends to an online dating sim. Nao is fine, but Kahoko fails miserably at it. A couple weeks later, school is back in session, but it's still scorching hot and she's still sucking. So she turns to some unlikely sources for help as they all try to beat the heat.  
**Genre**: Friendship  
**Rating**: K  
**Main Character**: Kahoko Hino

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kiniro no Corda_ or any affiliates. I don't own Zeiva's _Other Age_ either, but you can play it online for free here: zeiva…net/games/oa_online…html.

* * *

"I'm bored. What should we do?" Mio asked as she sat up.

"It's too hot to _do_ anything," Nao groaned from where she was lying on the floor.

"I'm with her," Kahoko agreed as she rolled over to try and find another cool spot.

Summer had set in with a vengeance. The city shimmered as concrete and asphalt baked. Dehumidifiers worked overtime as they attempted to wring the water from the saturated air. Needless to say, summer had effectively kyboshed the girls' summer plans.

Mio poked Nao with a slight pout. "I didn't mean outside, Nao-chan."

"It's too hot to move inside too though," Kahoko moaned. But under Mio's pleading gaze, she relented, "I suppose we could do something stationary."

"Like TV," Nao grunted.

Mio's eyes lit up. "I've got a better idea! Be right back."

The other two girls looked at each other and shrugged.

Laptop in hand, Mio plunked herself down between them. "I just found this _great_ online dating sim."

Dating sim? They shared an amused glance. Typical Mio. But having nothing better to do, they watched the screen as a purple castle appeared with the words, "Other Age," in a fancy script.

"Oh, how cute!" Kahoko beamed at the roly-poly game mascot as Mio clicked it.

"See, you're this princess who gets this machine that matches you up with your dream guy," Mio explained. "And now for the personality quiz." She breezed through the questions as her friends watched curiously. And after the weird-looking machine did a strange dance, a guy in a grey cape appeared. Mio sighed in rapture. "Isn't Neody _so_ handsome?"

"Uh oh," Nao teased, "Mio's got it bad. When's the wedding?"

Mio stuck out her tongue before continuing her narration. "After that, you respond to stuff he says to get him to go on a date." She demonstrated. "Then, you choose where to go," she clicked accordingly, "and now, you enter the minigame phase where you try and win a good ending."

"What's this game?" Kahoko asked.

"Survivor." Mio frowned. "It's _so_ hard!"

"Can't be that bad," Nao dismissed.

"Wanna bet?" Mio challenged.

"Fine." She gave a curt nod and took the controls. After getting hopelessly lost five times, Nao finally started to get the hang of it. "Gah!" she cursed as her time ran out yet again. "Stupid time limit! Again!" She pushed the computer toward Mio.

"Why don't you fill it out this time?" Kahoko suggested. "I mean, there's more than one guy, right?"

"Yeah, Nao-chan!" Mio beamed. "Let's see who you get."

With a shrug, the girl filled in her answers and got somebody named Dornick. While she wasn't crazy about his looks, it didn't take long for all of them to get hooked on his sleuthing minigame.

After their sixth unsuccessful collaboration, Kahoko stuck her hand in front of the screen. "Stop. No more sleuthing. It's way too hot for my brain to be working this hard."

Mio laughed in agreement. "Why don't you take a turn, Kaho-chan?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Yeah," Nao agreed with a teasing smirk. "I want to see what kind of guy Kaho gets."

Sending her a _look_, Kahoko took the helm. "Umm…let's see…." She hesitantly went through the ten questions, her friends making comments along the way. As the Luv Luv Nitarou Deluxe did its little dance, she watched it intently. What kind of guy would she get?

Three pairs of eyebrows shot up as weird shoes with little bows and eighteenth century tights and leggings appeared with a red cape. What in the world?! Her horror only increased as a strange man who looked like a bad Shakespearean actor came into view.

Nao roared in laughter. "Mr. _Nobody_?!" With a snort she asked, "Does that mean your dream guy doesn't exist, Kaho?"

"Be nice, Nao-chan," Mio managed to get out amidst her giggles. "Maybe he's not so bad."

But oh yes, he _was_ that bad: rhapsodizing about how wonderful and beautiful he was and forcing her to date him against her will because he incorrectly believed she was completely smitten with him; he was kind of a nightmare. Not to mention that his route was downright boring; no wonder it was only worth one star. She was so glad this was only a game; she'd be on the run for life if she dated this stalker for real. It didn't help that Mio and Nao were dying laughing as they watched her go through her date either.

"Aww, cheer up, Kaho. Why don't you try again? Maybe you'll get a different guy."

"Yeah, Kaho-chan. Different answers lead to different guys after all."

But by some cruel twist of fate, she ended up with Mr. Nobody again. And again…and again! For about fifteen more times. After about time ten, she didn't even suffer through the date anymore. The instant she saw those shoes, she went right for Quit. It was so mortifying! Especially since Mio and Nao had gone from sympathetic, to disbelieving, to howling with laughter as her face got progressively more and more red from repeated sightings of Mr. Nobody.

And that's why she was now in the school computer lab hiding out in the cool, windowless room where the scorching August sun wouldn't bake her to a crisp. This was silly. She should be practicing. Although…the practice rooms weren't as cool because the heat radiated in through the windows, but they _did_ run the dehumidifiers to keep the pianos in good shape, so it wasn't _so_ bad, just really stuffy.

She banged her head on the desk. Mr. Nobody again. Why? Why her? She was really beginning to wonder if she _was_ cursed.

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hi, Kaho-chan!" Kazuki greeted from the other side of her computer.

"Oh," she straightened up a little, "hello, Hihara-senpai. How are you?"

"Pretty warm," he laughed. His smile faded. "What's wrong, Kaho-chan? You look pretty down." His eyes shone in concern. "Did you want to talk about it? I'm always happy to help."


	3. Chapter 3

Should she tell him? Her eyes slid over to the cutesy screen, and she blushed. No way! "What brings you to the computer lab, Hihara-senpai?" she asked instead.

"Trying to cool down. I was practicing, but the sun's so bright I was getting blinded. Not to mention roasted." He wiped his forehead. "Actually, this is the coolest room in the school." He gave her a friendly wink. "Though not many know it."

She couldn't help but smile back, and a thought suddenly came to her. "I wonder if there's a guy like Hihara-senpai in here," she murmured.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Uh…." Biting her lip, she hesitantly asked, "Hihara-senpai…could you answer some…questions for me?"

"Sure."

"Would you rather play games, read books, or do something outdoors?"

He blinked in surprise. "Uh, outdoors."

She clicked the answer. "Would you rather have a home-cooked meal, fast food, or go to a high-class restaurant?"

"Home-cooked, definitely."

"Favorite time of day? Morning, evening, or night."

He thought for a few minutes before deciding, "Morning."

"Really?" She'd expected him to like sleep as much as she did.

"Yeah," he grinned, "the day always feels so fresh and new in the morning."

"Heh…" she nodded with a smile. "Do you prefer natural, soft, or dark colors?"

"What does that even _mean_?" he asked looking extremely confused.

She laughed. Typical guy. "Umm…do you like colors you see in nature; deep, bold colors; or lighter, pale shades?"

"Uh…natural?" He still didn't really get it.

She paused at the next question. If she were Hihara-senpai, she'd value personality the most, but wasn't the point to _not_ use answers she would pick herself? "Senpai, what do you think is your best feature: your personality, looks, or talents?"

"Kaho-chan, umm…why're you asking me these things?" He looked kind of uncomfortable.

She looked away in embarrassment. "Please, just answer."

"Erm…." He really had no clue. Finally, he mumbled with a red face, "Personality."

Nodding to herself, she clicked it and smiled. She thought that was his best feature too. Not that he was ugly or untalented, but his cheerful optimism was a definite plus.

Next question, type of guy: strong, clever, or strange? She cocked her head. That humongous appetite and his tendency to violently react to everything were kind of strange. Click.

His appearance: cute, handsome, or taller than me? She tapped her cheek thoughtfully as she scrutinized him. He was definitely tall. Her cursor hovered over the answer when she glanced up at him again. He looked like a confused puppy. She clicked Cute.

He's nearby, faraway, or from another dimension? Nearby.

She looked blankly at the final question before hesitantly asking, "Which best describes you: a) can do magic, b) has a strange hobby, or c) has a sad past?"

"A."

"What? Really?"

He grinned. "A couple coin tricks."

She giggled and clicked the final answer. Hihara-senpai could do magic, who knew? She watched intently as the Luv Luv Nitarou Deluxe shook and bounced. Then, the screen whited out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: An "Other Age" Summer  
Theme: Beat the Heat  
Author: tentsubasa  
**

* * *

And revealed a pair of white sneakers and jeans connected to a boy wearing a backward cap and eating what looked like a meatball. She almost screamed her excitement. "_Success!_"

"What's this?" Kazuki's voice suddenly piped up from behind her as he leaned over her shoulder.

"Hi-Hihara-senpai!" Busted!

He looked at her in confusion. "Some kind of game?"

"It's umm…an uh, dating sim," she confessed.

His eyes bugged out. "My answers—why would you—I mean—Do-do you think I'm gay?!" The girl he liked had just set him up with a guy by proxy. This was just _so _wrong!

"No, no, Hihara-senpai! It's not like that!" she protested, trying to calm him down. "I tried to see if I could find someone in the game _like_ you. This is your game counterpart, not someone for you to date! I mean, it's not like _you're_ a character in a dating sim."

"Right," he took a deep breath and blew it out, "right." He looked at the screen and made a weird face. "Zoui, huh? He doesn't look much like me."

Kahoko swallowed a laugh as she took in Zoui's shocked face. Hihara-senpai had worn similar expressions in the past.

As she clicked through to the first selection screen, he suddenly looked interested. "You're the princess of _FOOD_ Kingdom?!" He looked like Christmas had come early. "That's so awesome! Do you think they have tonkatsu sandwiches?" She giggled when she got a similar response from Zoui.

Kazuki's stomach growled as she clicked, "Yes, you can eat all you want!" "Lucky Zoui," he muttered under his breath.

She smiled. "So, where do you think he'd like to go?"

"Where _can_ you go?"

"The cafeteria, library, casino, romantic lookout, or forest garden."

"To the cafeteria!"

She complied. "Huh…looks like in this minigame, we just feed him food." She smiled up at him. "Want to help me?"

"Sure!"

"So, cheese pizza or cheap pizza?"

"Cheese."

"Fairy sushi or freaky sushi?"

"_Fairy_ sushi?" His face was inexplicable.

She shrugged. "Just roll with it?"

"Well freaky sushi sounds kind of scary, so I guess we'll avoid—Kaho-chan! Your time's about to run out!"

"Oh no!" She sighed as they lost and booted it up again. They had gotten up to eight when she asked, "Choco tarts?"

"Sounds good!"

"Eek! The meter went down to zero!"

"Ack! And with only two seconds left!" They both frowned as Zoui slumped as if he'd been poisoned. Kazuki's eyes were determined as he turned to her. "Let's lick this thing this time, Kaho-chan!"

She nodded. "Right."

"Cheese. Fairy. Potato. Yogurt." Kazuki called out food until the 10th heart was filled with just three seconds to spare. "We did it!" He cheered as he threw a fist into the air.

"Hooray!"

"Give me five!" He held up his hand.

As she returned his high-five with a laugh, a smooth, cultured voice came from the door. "My, you two look like you're having quite a bit of fun. What are you doing?"

* * *

**Sorry for the lack of summer imagery in this chapter. I really needed a chapter devoted to general game play.**

**Zoui is one of the most common characters you can get, and his route is one of the easier ones in **_**Other Age**_**, so I decided to use him to help explain in detail how the game works. I don't think it's a whole lot more than what the game itself gives you via the tip screens when you fail to get a good ending, but because the game creators have published a game guide, I won't be giving out many more spoilers past this one route. The identities of the two secret (a.k.a. only one set of answers will reveal them) characters will be divulged, but if you've played Zeiva's **_**Imaginary Realm**_** or **_**Genetic Glow**_** games, you'd know their names anyway, so again, not really a spoiler.**


	5. Chapter 5

**We apologize for the tardiness of this update. Due to some administrative difficulties on our end, we were unable to get the author's updates published in a timely fashion. We apologize again for any inconvenience and hope that you will enjoy the rest of this summer story even well into fall.**

**- Scribe's Faction**

* * *

Kazuki turned with a grin. "Yunoki! Your meeting's out already?"

"Yes, it was so warm, everyone moved to adjourn early. The air is so stagnant, even with the windows open, it was difficult to breathe."

"That sounds awful," she and Kazuki both shuddered, "but what brings you here, Yunoki-senpai?"

"I wanted to look up something," the ponytailed boy answered with a smile.

"Kaho-chan, why don't you ask Yunoki the same questions you asked me?"

"Eh? Are you sure?"

"Of course! I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Questions?" Azuma frowned quizzically.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she launched into the first one. "Ah…Yunoki-senpai, would you describe yourself as wild, playful, and easygoing; pure, gentle, and elegant; or mysterious, calm, and unpredictable?"

"A personality test?" He gracefully arched an eyebrow.

"Just answer, Yunoki, you'll see!"

He sighed. "I suppose the last one."

"Question two: would you rather play games, read books, or do something outdoors?"

"Outdoors? In this heat?" he teased before answering.

She avoided Kazuki's questioning look and snuck a glance at the duplicitous prince. If Hihara-senpai knew what she knew, he'd think Yunoki-senpai was from another dimension too.

The two in the know watched intently as the machine danced, and clapped when a dashing man in armored plating appeared. "Boo-yah!" Kazuki cheered. "Come see your game counterpart, Yunoki!"

"Excuse me?"

Kahoko quickly explained as Azuma came around to their side.

"Wow…" Kazuki marveled as they met Ividine, "he's just like you, Yunoki! Purple hair and everything! If this had happened to me, I'd be freaked out."

Azuma chuckled, "Are you telling me your game self didn't freak out?"

"Well…maybe a little…."

Kahoko giggled. "He won't tell you his name even though it's displayed for us to see. What an interesting person."

Azuma glanced at her. "Indeed." He chuckled. "He is right though. You should be careful about whom you share your identity with."

"Did people really lose their lives by telling strangers their names, Yunoki?!" Kazuki asked in horror.

"Hmm…I wonder…." Click. "He was just joking. Wouldn't it be interesting if it were true though?"

"_I_ don't think so." Kazuki shuddered.

"Where do you think they should go, Yunoki-senpai?"

"How about here?" They watched the screens. "A dancing contest?" A smirk lightly played on his lips. "Can you dance, Hino-san?"

Setting her mouth determinedly, she clicked Sure!; though in retrospect, she probably should've said she couldn't dance considering how much she was scrambling to try and press the arrows before the bar filled.

After they hit the Game Over screen, Azuma laughed a bit. "The interactions with the king and his advisor are quite amusing." He turned. "Well, this was fun, but I should go."

"Wait!"

He looked back.

"Please, can we try again, Yunoki-senpai?" Her eyes shone in determination. "I really want to try and beat this."

"…Very well."

Around and around they danced until finally….

"Alright, Kaho-chan!"

"Congratulations."

"Thank you! The dusk is so _beautiful_," she sighed dreamily.

Then, a yawn came from behind them. "Senpai…?"

* * *

**Oh my word, Ividine's minigame is ****_ridiculously_**** hard! I had to play it ****_so many _****times to get this chapter out. Its only saving grace is that the combinations don't chance every time you have to start over, and the still at the end is so pretty. Although, if you ask me, the princess kind of looks more interested in the money than Ividine at the end. *laughs***


	6. Chapter 6

Azuma smiled. "Hello, Shimizu-kun."

"Hello…Yunoki-senpai…."

"Sorry, did we disturb your nap?" Kazuki apologized.

"Yes…but…it was…about time…for me…to wake up…."

"Why are you sleeping in here, Shimizu-kun?" Kahoko asked.

"The air…outside…was heavy…so I felt…tired…." He looked around slowly. "I must have…somehow…ended up…here…."

"I see."

He nodded solemnly. "Heat…and…humidity…aren't good…for cellos…because they're made…of wood…." A drowsy smile. "The air…conditioning…helps…."

"Oh! I'm glad I brought my violin here then." Her eyes flicked to her game. "Umm, Shimizu-kun, would you mind helping me?"

He rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes. "Help…?"

She motioned to the screen. "With this game I'm playing."

He cocked his head. "Senpai…likes…dating games…?"

She laughed in embarrassment. "I guess you could say that."

"How…must I…help…?"

"By answering some questions for me."

"Okay…."

They went through the ten questions and up popped a wide-eyed boy with dark hair and jeans.

Kahoko beamed. "He's so cute!" She turned happily to the blonde. "How do you think I should answer, Shimizu-kun?"

"Be…straight-forward…."

"Yay! I got a date!" She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "Hmm, where should I go…? Maybe here…?" Her eyes widened in panic. "A quiz?! Oh no, I'm terrible at tests!"

"Don't worry, Kaho-chan," Kazuki chirped. "We'll help you." The other two nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Kahoko bowed. "I'm counting on you guys." She turned back to the computer. "What is the name of this game? Oh! That's easy! _Other Age_. How old are you? Uh…."

"Sixteen…."

"What is the current generation of King Mirage? Twenty-one…?"

"No…it was…twenty-two…."

"What is the full name of the machine that is used to summon me?"

"The one…with Luv…spelled with a u…."

"Which character in Genetic Glow wears a cap?" Click.

All correct.

Kahoko was amazed. "Wow, Shimizu-kun! How did you know all those?"

He blinked. "The answers…were listed…in the opening…. I simply…remembered them…."

"Huh?" She quickly opened another tab and started clicking through the opening. "Oh yeah, I guess they were."

"You have a good memory," Azuma complimented.

He bowed. "Thank you…Yunoki-senpai…."

She paused on number seven. "A prison probably wouldn't be decorated."

"But you can't…go…to the prison…."

"True…." She looked at Kazuki. "Were there…?"

"I don't _think_ so…."

Question 8.

"What is, 'Nuclear Crystalite,' Hino-san?"

"Umm?"

"Choose one…randomly…."

Question 9.

"Who?"

"Maybe…another…character from this…game…."

Question 10.

"Who are they, Kaho-chan?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"We seem to have…insufficient…information…."

"Well…Zeiva Inc. made other games; maybe the answers are in there," Kahoko suggested.

Azuma skimmed the website. "It seems they are princes of the Demon race."

"Which means…." Keiichi clicked an answer.

"Drat. We got at least one wrong," Kazuki pouted at the Game Over screen.

"Shall we try…again…?"

Six tries later, they finally got to the third round.

"Hihara-senpai?"

"Uh…eeny, meeny, miny, moe…."

The third heart filled. Success!

"Yay!" Kahoko clapped happily.

"We rule!"

"Apparently Lenz thinks we're geniuses," Azuma chuckled.

"Well…done…everyone…!"

A stern voice cut their celebration short. "Do you intend to continue this racket? I'm currently suffering from a heat-induced headache and the noise is aggravating it."

* * *

**Hmm...Keiichi's chapter had more spoiler-ish things in it than I would've liked, but since Lenz's minigame is a quiz, the only way I could think of to really show the characters working together was by going over the questions. =/ I'm so sorry Zeiva-san! m(_ _)m  
**


	7. Chapter 7

"Oh! Sorry, Tsukimori-kun," Kahoko apologized to the boy standing in the doorway. "Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I'm not."

"Perhaps you should lie down in the nurse's office," Azuma suggested.

"It's like an oven in there, so she advised I come here."

Keiichi pointed to the row where he had been napping. "There is…a good resting place…there…Tsukimori-senpai."

Len nodded tersely and strode over. "Thank you."

The four looked at each other as he lay down. None of them wanted to leave the cool sanctuary, but what could they do that wouldn't disturb him?

Len's voice floated over from behind the computers. "I don't intend to sleep."

Kazuki grinned. "In that case, would you consider yourself wild, playful, and easygoing; pure, gentle, and elegant; or mysterious, calm, and unpredictable?"

Kahoko looked at him in alarm. How would Tsukimori-kun take to being made into a dating sim character?

"I beg your pardon?"

"Please…answer…senpai…."

"I don't see why."

They looked over at Azuma who simply smiled and selected the third one.

"Would you rather play games, read books, or do something outdoors?" Kazuki continued.

"Is there a point to this?"

Kahoko's mouth fell open when Azuma punched in Playing Game.

This continued for the rest of the quiz with Kazuki asking questions and Azuma selecting answers for questions Len wouldn't answer, some more tongue-in-cheek than others. With each one, Azuma's companions were a mixture of horrified, cracking up, and quietly amused.

Kahoko started when a new character actually popped up. She couldn't help but think that Mr. Nobody should've popped up for the personality profile of a person that didn't exist.

"He's rather reticent, isn't he?" Azuma chuckled as Kahoko clicked through the conversation.

Kazuki shivered. "This is a little creepy. Even though we were joking around, they're like twins."

"Indeed…."

"Darn it," Kahoko pouted. "He walked away."

"What are you four doing?"

They all jumped. Kazuki and Kahoko guiltily tried to hide the screen.

"Hino…."

"Well, uh, it's-it's like this, Tsukimori-kun…."

Five minutes later, he stared at Mystery Man with an unreadable expression. "I see."

As he watched on, Kahoko plugged in her answers. "How would Tsukimori-kun react to this?" became her mantra. She smiled up at him. "Where to, Tsukimori-kun?"

"Anywhere but the casino, I suppose."

"A maze…. That sounds…interesting…."

"Look! A note!"

"What does it say?"

Len snorted. "Keep clicking one direction? That hardly sounds like a maze."

"There's…another note…."

They all stared at the screen inexplicably.

"Elephants like _water_…?" Kazuki finally asked in bewilderment.

"That's supposed to be helpful?" Len muttered.

"Perhaps…you head…toward water…?"

"Seems reasonable," Azuma agreed.

"Where is the water, Hino?"

"Uh…in Mio's minigame, I _think_ it was this way…."

Len pursed his lips at the Game Over in displeasure.

To play again or not to play again? Play again, of course (multiple times).

"Alright!"

"How pretty!"

"Well…done…."

"That was more difficult than expected."

"You cut it quite close, Hino-san."

"Huh? Why're you all here?"

The five looked up to see Ryoutaro standing in the doorway.

* * *

**This 500 word limit per chapter is really starting to kill me. So many words I wanted to use but can't…. *sigh***

**Mystery Man's minigame is also pretty difficult, although not nearly as bad as Ividine's in my opinion. I remember the first time I saw that note about the elephant, my reaction was similar to Len's. It was like, "What the heck?! What does that have to do with anything?!" Anywho, running around the forest was all worth it because like Ividine's route you are rewarded with a very pretty picture at the end. (^_^)v**


	8. Chapter 8

Len flushed. "None of your business." Of all the people to catch him watching a dating sim!

Sensing danger, Kahoko quickly asked, "Did you come from soccer, Tsuchiura-kun?"

Ryoutaro frowned. "Yeah, our sadist of a captain made us practice despite how freaking miserable and oppressive it is out there."

"Well, you're more than welcome to join us in the air conditioning, Tsuchiura-kun." Azuma smiled.

Keiichi looked sidelong at Kahoko. "Will you ask…Hino-senpai…?"

"Yeah!" Kazuki bounced. "Ask! Ask!"

"Ask what?"

Kahoko blushed, "We-ell…you see…." Soon, they all huddled around the screen as it flashed white. "Oh! Survivor!" She clapped happily.

"Doesn't it say his name is Neody?" Ryoutaro raised an eyebrow.

"No, that's his minigame," Kahoko explained. "Here, I'll show you."

"Wow…your game is _hard_, Tsuchiura," Kazuki observed in awe as she ran around the forest scavenging.

After she was done mooning over the scene, Ryoutaro rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Ah, Hino, why'd you ask us these questions? Couldn't you have just filled it in yourself?"

"I'd like to know that as well," Len agreed.

"Me…too…."

"He does raise a valid point."

"Yeah, why, Kaho-chan?"

She blushed and said in a small voice, "Because I didn't want to get Mr. Nobody again."

Blank looks.

She timidly punched in a new set of answers and cringed at the dreaded shoes. "Him."

The room was silent for a few seconds. Then, a snicker escaped. A smothered guffaw. And finally, they all began laughing.

"You certainly know how to pick them, Hino-san," Azuma chuckled.

"That's not even the worst of it!" She showed them.

Len looked irritated. "Why don't you tell him to go away?"

"I have, but—wait a second," she frowned after randomly clicking an answer, "are those…boxing gloves?" Her mouth dropped open in shock. "He has a _different_ minigame?!"

"Punch Mr. Nobody as fast as you can in 10 seconds?" Ryoutaro smirked. "Now _that's_ more like it!"

"Ding, ding!" Kazuki cried as she clicked FIGHT!.

The room was filled with cheers, groans, and a lot of backseat boxing as she tried to follow those blue arrows around and around to knock Mr. Nobody out.

Just when she was losing it again on her eighth try, Ryoutaro impatiently slipped his hand under hers and started tapping the keys as fast as he could in an attempt to salvage the match. "Almost had him!" he cursed.

"Hardly," Len sniffed. "You were still down about six hearts."

"Think you can do better violin boy?"

Len took the controls. Six hearts.

"Lemme!" Kazuki said eagerly. He got him down to seven. Then, Azuma punched him down to four. Ryoutaro knocked him down to three, which Len and Kazuki then matched.

"Hit 'im right in the kisser, senpai!"

"Go, Yunoki, go!"

"Left, no, right. Up."

Almost…there….

"Wow, Shimizu-kun! I can't believe you did it on your first try!"

"Huh?" They all turned to see Kahoko with Keiichi at a different computer.

"We've saved the kingdom!" she cheered.

"Yes…we beat him…and the heat…" Keiichi laughed quietly.

* * *

**The End**

**That 500 word limit was annoying here too. Probably because I had to juggle six characters, so I couldn't describe their expressions much. It kind of bugged me. =/ But enough about that. We're finally done! =D**

**Yeah, so that's the end of my little story. (^_^) I hope you enjoyed it. It was mostly born out of the desire to have dating sim characters play a dating sim. XD I thought it would be amusing. I don't know why, but when the prompt was announced, this was the first plot idea that popped into my head, so then the challenge became tying it in with summer.** ***laughs***** Kind of backward, right? =)**

**I don't know if anyone could tell or not, but I tried to write this story in such a way that each chapter could flow right into the next to make a single one-shot. If you would like to see it in one-shot form, you can find it on my livejournal account. My LJ username is also tentsubasa, so hopefully it shouldn't be hard to find me. If you look in my tags, you should be able to easily find my story. =)**


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